Tillerson Issues Last Warning to Russia Before Leaving White House

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a parting word of advice to Russia, a day after losing his post.

President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Tuesday that he would be replacing Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the country’s top diplomat. The announcement came less than a day after Tillerson criticized Russia for its alleged role in the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.

“Much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian Government,” Tillerson said at a briefing on Tuesday, outlining areas where he had been unable to achieve success.

America’s top diplomat urged Moscow to assess “how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly.”

Tillerson, who said he would remain in office until March 31, warned Russia that it risked greater isolation if it continued down its current trajectory, “a situation which is not in anyone’s interest.”